New Community Hydro Scheme and Sustainability Centre for Reading

‘Reading Sustainability Centre’ have just embarked on an ambitious project which will produce hydroelectricity from the Thames. They plan to use the power and income generated to help run a Sustainability Centre located near to Caversham weir. The group is in the process of setting up a Community Interest Company, a not for profit organisation that will enable it to raise the funds needed to complete the hydro project.
Initial feasibility studies have been very favourable, and such a scheme with an associated sustainability centre would be very good for Reading, both for local residents who will benefit and in terms of external interest generated. ‘Reading Sustainability Centre’ is working closely with existing environmental groups in Reading, and local experts such as Oxford Low Carbon Hub and e-waterpower. They are an apolitical organisation and as such, are keen to have input from everyone.
There will be a site visit and picnic on Wednesday 4th June and to which all are welcome. Please meet at the footway near Caversham Weir at 5pm. After examining the Weir, Lock Island and View Island there will be a bring and share picnic at 6pm.

See our newly created website which will be improved all the time www.ReadingSustainabilityCentre.co.uk

But the organisation to which Tony refers is apparently neither local gov't nor subsidised. Why do words fail you? How is it bullsh*t?

Having run an energy demonstration centre I support ventures which give the public something to look at and understand.

Posted By: orangemannotIf these ideas were so fundamentally sound, the money should be queued up waiting, or rather the site would have snapped up/bought up by a private developer, and run at a profit.
Simple Capialism at work.

But the world doesn't work like that; a project like this has to compete for capital against projects which are far from fundamentally sound but which make a profit for their owners by externalizing costs. Whether people trying to do things right in their local area are just pissing into the wind is a separate matter; what you can't conclude from the occasional resulting mess is that it's not a good thing to do.